Black Armband Day

I always enjoyed the comedic insight of George Carlin. Although he tended to be crude and raunchy at times, his insight into critical issues bordered upon brilliance. May he rest in peace.

It'll be interesting to contrast the media's coverage of Carlin's passing with their ongoing worship and memorial services for big government mouthpiece Tim Russert. Certainly, I feel sympathy for Russert and his family, but at this point the non-stop coverage of his death is beyond annoying. Russert was far from the "impact" journalist his contemporaries claim he was (one need to look no further than his animosity towards Ron Paul last December for an example), and we can rest assured that whoever occupies Russert's Sunday morning seat will continue to provide a stage for big government support.

For an excellent analysis of the cheerleading Russert, see Justin Raimondo's article from antiwar.com. Raimondo disposes of the media-generated myth that Russert was among the last of a dying breed of maverick journalists.

I think Charles Burris sums up best the contrast between media coverage of Russert's death and the anticipated (lack of) coverage for George Carlin (re-printed from LRC blog):

"The greatest philosopher of our time has died.

"Now observe the contrast of how the mainstream media will cover this event with their unceasing marathon of coverage of the death of Tim Russert.

"Notice how the MSM celebrated and lauded one of its own who was a servant to the powers-that-be, a soothing and compliant tool who help spread disinformation and mendacious lies for the state and its policies of war, mass murder, heinous torture, repression of civil liberties, and destruction of the rule of law.

"Contrast that coverage with the meager reporting of the death of the brilliant and courageous Carlin who always spoke truth to power, and exposed the hypocrisy, vacuousness, and intellectual bankruptcy of the mass man culture fostered by the overlords who rule our corporate welfare-warfare regime.

"I was privileged to see two live performances of this raucous cantankerous oracle of wisdom and insight.

"I laughed so much that my sides ached.

"But my mind was opened to joyous illumination and wonderment.

"Something great has gone out of our world."

I'm not certain Carlin was the greatest philosopher of our time, but he's near the top of my list for original thought and ability to deliver a powerful message to the masses. Without question the world lost a great artist today...and for his contribution to our culture Carlin deserves a tribute greater than that paid to career sycophants like Russert.